DR. DAN PEZZULO
  • Home
  • Experience
  • Education
  • Contact
  • Blog

Concussion Recovery Takes Longer for Some Kids

7/20/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Some children recover more slowly from concussion and other types of traumatic brain injury because they have extensive damage to the protective coating around brain nerve fibers, a new study says.

Researchers looked at 32 patients, aged 8 to 19, who had suffered a moderate to severe brain injury in the previous five months. The kids underwent tests to assess how fast they could process and recall information.  The researchers also recorded electrical activity in the patients' brains to determine how quickly their brain nerve fibers could transmit information. And imaging scans assessed the structural condition of the youngsters' brain wiring.

"Just as electricians insulate electrical wires to shield their connections, the brain's nerve fibers are encased in a fatty tissue called myelin that protects signals as they travel across the brain," Dr. Christopher Giza, a professor of pediatrics and neurosurgery at the University of California, Los Angeles, explained in a university news release.   "We suspected that trauma was damaging the myelin and slowing the brain's ability to transmit information, interfering with patients' capacity to learn," he explained.  

Half of the patients had widespread damage to the myelin. They did 14 percent worse on the mental skills tests, and their brain wiring worked three times more slowly than healthy children. The other 16 brain injury patients had nearly intact myelin. Their brains processed information as quickly as healthy children, and they did 9 percent better on the mental skills tests than those with more myelin damage.

The study, published in the July 15 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, offers possible indicators that doctors could use to identify higher-risk brain injury patients who require closer monitoring, the researchers said.
Traumatic brain injury is the single most common cause of death and disability in American children and teens, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Disclaimer: This website is for informational and educational purposes.   
    ​
    Any and all blog content represents a synthesis of empirical information found on the internet, of my own personal opinions,  and my professional experiences. Nothing posted reflects or should be considered professional advice. Interaction with me via the blog does not constitute a professional or therapeutic relationship. For professional and customized advice, you should seek the services of a licensed mental healthcare professional.
    I do not assume liability for any portion or content of material on the blog and accept no liability for damage or injury resulting from your decision to interact with the website.

    Archives

    August 2020
    September 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    Care & Treatment
    College
    Diagnoses & Disabilities
    Education & Teaching
    Health & Mental Health
    Neuroscience
    Parenting
    Technology
    Transitional Services

© Copyright 2019    Dr. Dan Pezzulo 
Lancaster, PA 17601
  • Home
  • Experience
  • Education
  • Contact
  • Blog